Reasons Why I Love Makati City

After my beloved South cities Las Pinas and Alabang/Paranaque, in the list of "cities to live in" in my book, would after all be Makati City.

In 2008 to 2009, I moved to a unit in Dela Rosa with a friend/flatmate just to feel how it is to be thisclose to work, and to escape the heavy traffic I encounter going to and fro my house in Las Pinas then. It was fun, there is no doubt with that. But together with it, I felt like I had no more escape from the city life, as I do with then living at BF Resort {Las Pinas}. Every morning, night and weekend, I once again see lots of trees, lots of grass, bicycles, people walking their dogs on the streets and no heavy traffic within at least a 15km. perimeter. Aside from that, I suddenly was not going home earlier as much since I thought, it was too easy to come home, I spent a lot of hours at the office and forgot that 9PM is too late to still be at the office. Good bye, work-life balance.

It's been a year since I've stopped living in Makati but I have not stopped exploring it at all. Oddly enough, I became more and more interested with it as I became more and more detached {I do live in QC now and we're about to move to our new building at The Fort}.

Reason #1: Mom and Tina's. Having worked at TEC for almost three years now, Mom and Tina's would be one if not most missed places I'll think of. Mom and Tina's is located at the corner of Dela Rosa and Perea Sts., one tumbling away from the Dela Rosa entrance of our building. The ambiance is crazy homey, the food AH-MAZING {ask Sab or Gem} and the prices are honest and reasonable. Oh and they've got wi-fi, too! I swear, whenever I have a friend who's heartbroken or sad, I'll bring her/him here and this friend will come out ten times happier, the whole eating experience here feels like a warm hug on a cold day. But if you're looking into having your lunch here, don't forget to call first for reservations. The place is madly packed every lunch time.

I swear this salad can lift me up from my QLC moods, I can eat it all day, every day.

Fetuccine with Seafood and Basil Pesto {Php 225}

Even the freebies are good!

Pasta and soups come with free rolls, this one in garlic and butter. Yum!

Toblerone Walnut Torte {Php 100} and Chocolate Mousse {Php 65}

Perfect Endings: A cup of capuccino and my opened Toblerone Walnut Torte.

If you ever remember how having a childhood sweetheart feels like, that is

about the same as having this gem of a dessert.

Reason #2: Salcedo Weekend Market. I've heard of the Salcedo Saturday Market {open at the Salcedo Park every Saturdays only} and have been meaning to try it out. Once on a lukewarm Saturday, I gathered the energy to troop off into Salcedo Village and feasted my eyes and taste buds on the different food stalls {Thai food, Vigan stall, homemade peanut butter, wagyu shwarma among others} at the park.

My favorite stall out of all the diversed stalls in SWM.

This stall is manned by three authentically French men. Adorbs!

The park's eating area with adorable benches.

* The Salcedo Weekend Market is located at the Salcedo Park {Leviste St.}, open every Saturday mornings till 2 PM only.

Reason #3: Chocolate Fire. I first heard of the restaurant when Sab and I met up at Mom and Tina's one evening for our caffeine fix and more importantly, to catch up, and she mentioned this delightful new joint called Chocolate Fire, where everything on the menu has chocolate in it. Ever a curious cat, I researched the place and my mouth gaped open at the online menu that read really mouthwatering creations, some of which were:

Chocolate-covered Grapes, Pringles, Strawberries and anything you can cover with CHOCOLATE.

The very night I decided to Google this little chocolate hole, I just had to get out of my building and go over to Rufino cor. Leviste Sts., where it was located almost immediately after. These were what greeted me:

Assorted bars of white, dark and milk chocolate. I felt like a kid in a candy store

and it was five seconds in the store and my heart was palpitating in excitement.

Once on a date, a guy asked me, if I have only one food I can bring in an island, what would be it?
It's Cake. And now that I've discovered Chocolate Fire's cakes, you can send me to

an island anytime with this.

I seriously expected hoped their quiches and sandwiches would have a chocolate

bit into them but they don't. Not bad, when you want to take a break from sinking into

that chocolate goodness, you may want to savor these yummy sandwiches!

And then I got distracted with the fridge where they keep the truffles, mousses, tiramisus

and other sinful, calorific creations. My friend's and my eyes were so big in wonder

walking around the counters. And somewhere within my faint earshot, I could hear 'Alleluia.'

And finally, my order came {Fondue for One, which was a lot, too}and all coherent thoughts flew out of my mind. Suddenly, my friend and I decided we should hold our team's planning session right there and then, intertwined with notes of 'Alleluiah' if only for the delightful marriage of strawberries and chocolate that exploded in my mouth. Bananas and Belgian chocolate makes for a good partnership, too and I found myself cementing my great love for Chocolate Fire and Makati City at that minute.

The photo doesn't justify the goodness of it at all.

I do hope when you're in Makati though, give it a try. The effort and money is so worth it.

Reason #4: Xanadu plays in RCBC Theater. If there was anything that changed in me after watching Cats, it's that I turned into another musical fan girl. Now that yet another musical is coming to Manila, I just had to buy tickets to watch. Not only is it an entertaining musical, it will be in Makati City, too!

The story of the whimsical and comic musical focuses on the Greek muse, Clio, who descends from Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California in 1980 on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest creation of his life - a roller disco. But when Clio, disguised as an Australian roller girl named Kira, falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation, and Clio risks eternal banishment to the underworld.

Secured Orchestra Center tickets for me already. YAY!

I cannot wait to watch the musical 'where love and roller blades collide.'